The Historic Lowcountry River Flowing Through The Heart Of It All

Beginning at Slands Bridge and extending 22 winding miles through thick stands of moss-covered oaks and dense marshes to the site of Charleston's first settlement in 1670, its brackish waters and pluff mud shoreline are saturated with early Antebellum history. It was a thoroughfare to Charleston and a lifeline for its dependent downstream settlements and expansive plantations, including the Colonial Dorchester settlement and the Ashley Barony site.

Relatively undisturbed by the passing of time, this undulating liquid menagerie is unparalleled in its historic significance and natural value. People by the droves come from all over the United States to its lush banks to drink in its tranquility and wonder at its one-time opulence.

Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation, Drayton Hall, and the lesser known but equally enchanting Runnymede Plantation are poetic names indelibly written on the river's adjoining signposts welcoming visitors to their riverside gardens and reflective ponds. These scenic estate vistas are saturated with history and part of the stunning tidal river named after the 1675 Chief Lord Proprietor of the Carolina Colony, Anthony Ashley Cooper.

This living ecological attraction was and is the Ashley River Corridor--home to 26 separate sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated a State Scenic River. Events inviting you to explore and experience the river's natural amenities are scheduled throughout the year, especially in the spring, when it all comes to life in the Lowcountry's warming sun and pleasant evenings. Something for everyone, following is a list of March's offerings.

1) Middleton Place Spring Wine Stroll--The weather and the setting were perfect. There was but a whisper of a breeze playing on the long branches of the old oaks. The fading sun cast a tranquil shade of pleasant over the beautified gardens--considered the oldest in America. The numerous reflective ponds, alive with the chatter of its amphibious residents, were one with the surroundings. Their mirror-like surfaces are disturbed only by the watchful eyes of the long-toothed reptiles common to these Lowcountry waters.

Stroll the gardens of Middleton Place while sipping on samplings of old and new world wines. Each Wednesday evening, a different garden location is paired with a selection of wines for you to sample. Enjoy spectacular views and light snacks. It begins March 18 and runs to May 27 this year.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at event.
Date: Wednesday, March 18 – May 27, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
4300 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC

For complete details, go to Middleton Place Wine Stroll.

Here is a sampling of a previous wine stroll.

2) Magnolia Plantation Rice Field Boat Tour--Slip back in time as your boat glides through Magnolia's old flooded rice field along the Ashley River. While you explore the cattail-fringed canals, your naturalist captain will transport you to the age of rice growing and river-going. Alligators still slip silently across its channels as egrets wade along the shore, stalking fish or frogs. You might even surprise a flock of wood ducks or spy a grackle building its nest. Today the rice is gone, but the history is still alive.

LENGTH: One hour
LOCATION: Departs from a dock in the historic Garden.
TIMES: Seven days a week from March through October each year.
COST: $8 per person with paid garden admission, children under 6 free.
3550 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC

For complete information, go to Magnolia Plantation Rice Field Boat Tour.

3) Drayton Hall Historic Entertaining and Wine Tasting--Originally a fruit orchard, Drayton Hall was built somewhere around 1738, thus making it over 282 years old. The house is part of the most significant, undisturbed historic landscapes in America and one of the earliest and finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States. Of course, the use of the word undisturbed must be dissolved in a glass of salty brine and consumed with a grain of rice.

Please join us for a historic entertaining-inspired interpretive conversation followed by a wine tasting. Take the opportunity to learn about the Draytons’ entertaining through research, archaeological discoveries, and Drayton diaries. Then, enjoy wines with histories relevant to entertaining at Drayton Hall through the generations.
March 21, 2020
3380 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC

For more details, go to Drayton Hall Historic Entertaining and Wine Tasting.

4) The 2nd Annual Ashley River Adventure Race at the Bridgman River Access/Future Ashley River Park Site--Features a 5k trail run through the future park, an 8-mile downriver paddle, a post-race party at the Inn at Middleton Place, and a Fun Float (no running; untimed; you paddle your boat with everyone else) for those that want to participate in a more leisurely manner. As always, post-party tickets are available for your friends, family, and general spectators.

Kayak or SUP are not provided. Bring your own, or make it super easy on yourself by renting from Edisto River Adventures who will meet you at the race start with your boat and pick it up from you as soon as you finish at the Inn. Cost is $35 for boat rental and all gear. Contact ERA at 843-695-8146 or email at info@edistoriveradventures.com.
March 21, 2020
200 Renken Road
Summerville, SC

For times and complete details go to 2nd Annual Ashley River Adventure Race.

Last year's 2019 Ashley River Adventure Race.

5) The Charleston Bluegrass Festival--A brand new event presented by Friends With Benefits Productions, Awendaw Green, and Ear For Music. The festival takes place on the pristine 6,000-acre grounds of the Woodlands Nature Reserve across from Middleton Place.
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Patrons can expect a weekend of revelry complete with some of the finest names in bluegrass across three lakeside stages. The event offers plush camping options, local food/craft vendors, and outdoor activities. Patrons can look forward to mind-bending art installations and exciting performance art.

The Charleston Bluegrass Festival reaches beyond your typical weekend music festival, offering festival-goers the opportunity to rent a kayak to fish on two stocked lakes, go for a hike on miles of wooded trails, or hop on a stand-up paddleboard and enjoy a view of both stages from out on the water, and if being lazy is the desired activity, Eagles Nest Outfitters will be on hand, providing a plethora of hammock options for fans to lounge.

The Woodlands Festival is proud to partner with some of Charleston’s finest culinary curators to offer vast food options, from local food trucks and neighborhood restaurants, offering fans from around the country a taste of Charleston. In addition to curating a world-class bluegrass lineup, The Charleston Bluegrass Festival will most certainly showcase the best of everything Charleston has to offer—nature, food, art, music, and more.

GENERAL ADMISSION WEEKEND PASS: $109.00
VIP WEEKEND PASS: $249.00--Prime Viewing/Private Bar/Private Restrooms
GENERAL ADMISSION SINGLE DAY - FRIDAY: $65.00
GENERAL ADMISSION SINGLE DAY - SATURDAY: $65.00
Ticket prices do not include camping-camping price details.
March 20-21, 2020
4279 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC

For complete details, go to The Charleston Bluegrass Festival.
Tickets.

Summerville's Latest Projects: A Renovated Hutchinson Square And Newly Constructed Ashley River Park

Summerville's new marketing campaign positions its coordinates geographically at the heart of everything in the Lowcountry. As of lately, it certainly has been the center of attention. On March 1st, the town inaugurated its newly completed Hutchinson Square Project with a ribbon cutting and celebratory party. The refreshed historic downtown area was packed with town representatives and residents. The crowning touch to the restoration features a pavilion with a roof line patterned after the old railroad station that once upon a time stood close by and a gateway reminiscent of earlier days in the town's honored history.

Next, the following day, the first ever Ashley River Adventure Race took place during which the new 85 acre recreation park located on the banks of the Ashley River at Bacon Bridge Road was previewed by the participants with a 5K trail run along with an 8.5-mile paddle downriver to the Inn of Middleton Place. Entrants from all across the Lowcountry and beyond were in attendance. The Howard Bridgman River Access was lined with kayaks and paddlebords of varying lengths and colors.

The racers either participated individually or as a relay team where one person ran and the other paddled. Those looking for a more leisurely river experience participated in the Family Fun Float. Instead of entering the river at Bacons Bridge, they started from Jessen Boat Landing and paddled 5 miles to the Inn of Middleton Place.

The weather turned out to be perfect for the event. The race started at 9:30 am with the run. The paddle down the river with the out going tide was a pleasurable experience as we navigated the twists and turns through the heavily wooded upper Ashley to the wide open marshes of the Plantation District. At the after party, food was served and awards were handed out while a band played in the background, all for the benefit of Friends of Dorchester County Parks.

The Howard Bridgman River Access at Bacons Bridge is part of the Ashley River Blue Trail--a 22 mile segment of the river running from Slands Bridge at Highway 17A to south of I-526 at Charles Towne Landing. The river trail contains 26 separate sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, including Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Middleton Place, Drayton Hall, and Runnymede. Along this 22 mile river corridor, the Ashley River Heritage Trail makes up approximately 5 1/2 river miles in the upper reaches of the Ashley, incorporating a number of shipwrecks and landings visible at low tide.


While kayaking the Ashley River's brackish waters, wildlife you may see along the way include deer and a spectacular variety of birds of prey, such as bald eagle, osprey, and the rare swallow-tailed kite. Long-legged wading birds like egrets and great blue herons hunt the wide-open downstream marshes where spot-tailed bass can be seen tailing on the edges of the tall grass. Endangered sturgeon can also be found making their way upstream to spawn along with striped bass and yes, the cunning alligator cruise these waters on warm, sunny evenings.


Dorchester County purchased the Ashley River sight off of Bacons Bridge Road in 2012 and since planned and constructed the amenity diverse park. Some of the amenities include a zip line, climbing wall, ropes course, playground, fire pit and event lawn with a stage. Some of the natural amenities include a rice field, 5.7 acre fishing pond, wetlands, perennial bed, and acre after acre of stunning views of the meandering Ashley River ecosystem observed from a boardwalk and 3,770 feet of winding trails.

Saturday, March 9, 9 am-1 pm, The Dorchester County Parks and Recreation Commission invites you to walk the trails and submit your ideas for improvements to the 85-acre wonderland. Don't miss this opportunity.

As the ever encroaching urban development along the Lowcountry's tidal rivers advances, it is vitally important to preserve as much of these diverse and beautiful ecosystems that we can. The new Ashley River Park accomplishes this esteemed goal both recreationally and environmentally.

Visit Summerville
Town of Summerville